North American Soccer League I (NASL) 1967-1984

The first North American Soccer League was by far the most successful professional soccer league in United States History, also expanding into Canada. The information for this page was compiled from several sources. The player registers are derived largely from Colin Jose's "NASL: A Complete Record of the North American Soccer League".

Two rival leagues started in 1967, the FIFA-Sponsored United Soccer Association and the renegade National Professional Soccer League. In 1968, they merged to form the North American Soccer League. The league florished for many years attracting many top stars and posting impressive performances and attendance figures, but overspending eventually forced the league into oblivion. Despite its unfortunate demise, the NASL briefly enjoyed the greatest success of any league in US history, albeit without the stability and long-term foundation established by Major League Soccer.

A complete NASL Player Register has been published as "The North American Soccer League Encyclopedia", by Colin Jose. It may be bought through Amazon.com or directly from St. Johann's Press, 315 Schraalenburg Rd., PO Box 241, Haworth, NJ 07641. $29.95.